Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Let me start with a proverb… “Stab the body and it heals. But injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.” Matters of the heart can get complicated at times. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI, which marks Karan Johar’s return to direction after seven long years.

On face-value, ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI may come across as yet another prem kahaani from Dharma. After all, KJo has a penchant for love stories, which is evident in his choice of films as a storyteller. However, ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI packs a lot more than Rocky and Rani’s romance in those [approx] 2.49 hours. Now to the pertinent question: Does KJo get it right? Oh yes, he does. ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI wins Round 1 by casting the right names for the pivotal characters, namely Rocky [Ranveer Singh], Rani [Alia Bhatt] and the three stalwarts [Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi]. Having said that, the real triumph lies in its storytelling, which surprises you at several points. More on that later! The plot *without* spoilers… Opposites attract! Rocky Randhawa [Ranveer Singh] and Rani Chatterjee [Alia Bhatt] are drawn towards each other, but realize that it’s not easy to win over their respective families. That’s when they hit upon the unique idea to switch places: Rocky will reside with Rani’s family in her house, while Rani will move into Rocky’s palatial mansion and win over his family.

ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI bears the stamp of an accomplished storyteller, with KJo avoiding the tried-and-tested rom-com template to move things. For instance, the integration of timeless tracks in the narrative is so refreshingly hatke. Also, the dramatic twist before ‘Dhindhora Baje Re’ and the heated argument that follows is brilliant. The writing [Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, Sumit Roy] doesn’t fall prey to mediocrity at any stage. It encompasses drama, emotions and romance seamlessly. Would like to make a special mention of the dialogues [Ishita Moitra], which garnishes the sequences beautifully. DoP Manush Nandan creates some stunning frames and does complete justice to the scale.

On the whole, ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI is a well-packaged entertainer that has ample merits to strike a chord with the youth as well as families. At the box-office, it has the potential to emerge a success story.

Genres:Drama

Director:Karan Johar

Cast:Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra